For Unto Us
by Poison-Quills
Summary: After the Chamber of Secrets and Lord Voldemort's return is certain, Dumbledore sends for Voldemort's daughter. Becoming a unwilling pawn in a war. Will Snape be able to guide her in the choice of what is right and what is easy.
1. Chapter 1

Something was going to happen tonight.

Something big.

Something unstoppable.

It was in the air, as thick as the fog that surrounded the castle. You could almost taste the tang of fear and smell the musk of danger in every breath. Everyone was on edge, especially Hogwarts' Potion Master. After classes he wandered around the school's grounds; even after the sun slid down in the sky and night enveloped the castle, he continued his vigil. He was slowly making his way on the same route, his black robes billowing behind him. A scowl sat firmly on his face, and scowl firmly on his face, rosary beads wrapped themselves around his hands.

Severus knew about tonight's raid; Lucius' mind was easy enough to invade. Severus also knew that he wasn't supposed to know about it. He spent hours begging the Dark Lord for Lilly's life and spent weeks recovering from the Cruciatus he received for his weak spirit and insolence. After passing the information on to Dumbledore, the headmaster ordered him to stay on the grounds. Both of his masters wanted him there. So he took comfort in the only thing he had left.

Severus prayed that the Fidelius charm would be enough. He prayed that Sirius would be useful for one thing in his worthless life.

It was shortly after midnight, and Severus was walking along the lake back toward the castle, when a silver phoenix flew over to him. Not waiting for it to speak, he ran up to the castle. He was soaked by from a cold sweat by the time he reached the stairway leading to the Headmaster's office. He climbed the stairs three at a time, approaching the gargoyle that protected the door. He pulled out his wand ready to blow it into pieces to get through. Tonight it moved aside with no snide comment or complaint; even it knew something was wrong.

"Lily?" he said as he burst into Dumbledore's office. He looked around quickly, half expecting her to be there. The Headmaster was pulling on an outer cloak when he saw Severus.

"Severus." Dumbledore walked over to him as he finished fastening the clasp to holding his cloak together. He saw the what little color that was in Severus' face drain away as he got closer. "I'm sorry." Severus staggered like he'd been hit, and Albus caught him by the shoulders. "There is still…" Albus tried to catch his eye. The young man looked like he was about to pass out at any moment. "There is still work to do. I'm going to see to the Potter boy." Severus looked at the old man and tried hard to control the pain that washed over him. "You need to go move the girl."

Severus covered his face with both hands, taking a deep breath, and nodded. He pulled away from Albus' grasp and straightened his robes. "Of course, Headmaster." Severus looked up at the ceiling, still fighting for control of himself. Taking another deep breath, he turned on his heels and left the Headmaster's office.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch. 2

With a crack, Severus apparated in to an alley. Still dizzy from the trip and the smell of wet rank trash from the dumpster next to him, he felt his stomach flip. He held onto the edge of the dumpster and the wall in front of him as he threw up. When he was through, he closed his eyes and rested the side of his forehead against the cold wet brick wall.

"Damn it." After wiping his mouth with the back of his hand he headed toward the street.

It was well past midnight. There were many people out on the street. It wasn't the holiday; except for the whores working on the corner wearing battered Mardi Gras masks, no one out was in costume. One was bending down into the window of a car as he walked past them. Two of the girls evidently thought that such a young man would be an easy trick and perhaps they could roll him once they had his pants down. He didn't need Legilimency to learn that.

"Hey baby, want some company?" one girl said as she started to rub her hand on his chest.

"Yeah, we can teach you how to have a real good time," purred the other girl in his ear. He couldn't help but roll his eyes at the cliché of it all.

"I bet you say that to all the boys," he mumbled as walked past them. Brushing of the first girl's hand sharply when it strayed too close to his wand, she took it as a personal affront and started yelling at him.

"That's ok. Go back to your mom, you fucking fag! Go over a couple of blocks. There's a couple of little boys you can fuck with!" Severus, not turning around, sent a Silencio and the two finger salute over his shoulder at them. The night became blessedly quiet again.

Aside from the occasional drug dealer and vagrant staring at him warily, the rest of the walk was uneventful. As he approached a dingy stucco apartment building, he looked up and down the street and through the glass door into the entryway of the building, trying to determine if anyone or anything was out of place. When he decided that nothing was amiss, he took out his wand from the inside of his robes and slid it up the inside of his sleeve. Then he entered the building.

The hallway reeked of stale urine and cooked cabbage and was dimly lit by two bare bulbs that hung from the ceiling. The only sounds were the occasional cough from one of the bums sleeping in the hallway and the buzz of the flies that surrounded them. On his way over to the stairs, Severus stepped over a man passed out in his own fluids; he gave a moan when Severus accidently kicked him on the way.

When Severus reached the top of the stairs, he headed toward the apartment at the end of the hall. The cheap particle board door was once painted in a glossy white and was now yellowed, streaked with dirt, and badly chipped. He listened for a moment, and when he didn't hear anything he knocked loudly on the door. Listening again for a minute, he slid his wand out of his sleeve and pointed at the lock.

"Alohomora," he said. Upon hearing the click of the lock, he slowly opened the door and entered the dark apartment. Severus held his wand out in front of him, ready for anything that might come at him. A few steps in, he felt on the wall for a light switch. He listened for a moment and flipped the light on. The room was filled with a dim sickly yellowish light from a lamp in the far corner of the room.

Besides the lamp, the room was devoid of any furniture. The floor was littered with dirty dippers, fast food wrappers, and dirty clothes. There were a couple of piles of unidentifiable things, but Severus didn't stop and study them. Stepping over them quietly as possible, he headed toward the back bed room.

Severus slowly opened the door to a room filled with twice the clutter as that in the living room. Along the far wall was a dingy twin mattress and bare bulb lamp. On the mattress layid a toddler who that looked no older than two and a young woman. Both of their black hair looked stringy and greasy from neglect. From the look and smell, the toddler hadn't been changed in a while. Severus walked over to the bed. He noticed an overflowing ashtray, several broken glass tubes, and a couple of syringes. He picked up a blue bottle that was lying on its side, immediately recognizing it as one that he used to store the extract of dangerous herbs. So this is Bellatrix's idea of looking after someone, he thought, as he smoothed the young woman's hair out of her face.

Kneeling down, he felt for a pulse, he noticed the dark circles under her eyes and waxy pallor of the rest of her skin. Definitely not an overdose, but not far from it, he concluded. He looked over to the child, who was taking regular breaths. Aside from obvious neglect, she was healthy. He began to debate whether or not to wake her up for the trip, transcontinental apperation was hard enough. He only just mastered it in the past month, at the Dark Lord's command. An unmistakable crack from outside cut the debate short. He quickly picked up the toddler and grabbed the woman by her arm and disappeared with the same crack.

Outside, the building, a distraught Bellatrix was flinging hexes as she stormed the building. Her husband Rodolphus and brother in law Rabastan were in tow. Shattering the glass of the front door, Bellatrix stepped through the frame. She flipped her wand, and the man at the bottom of the stairs was thrown toward the opposite wall where he fell in an unnatural position, his back broken. As she made her way up the stairs she continued to fling hexes, blasting holes in the plaster and doors. The men behind her exchanged nervous looks. They both knew Bella could be tempestuous, but they had never seen her like this before.

"Wait here," she snapped at them when they arrived at the apartment door. "Kill anyone that approaches."

"What are you going to do?" Rodolphus timidly asked. Then he then flinched under Bella's stare.

"That brat is going to do what she was born for," Bella spat back before disappearing into the apartment with a flurry.

When they heard Bella's angry screech, the men came running into the back bedroom. They saw Bella storming around screaming unintelligibly. She was throwing fireballs out of her wand. The men stood there shocked at her display of rage but she soon turned her anger toward them.

"Don't just stand there, find them!" She stormed out of the room. The men could hear her entering the apartment next door, and they obediently followed.

It took the firemen twenty-four hours to put out the fire, and it burned so hot that it warped the metal on buildings 60 feet away. The estimate was that 36 people died in the blaze. The count and identification of the bodies weren't exact.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch 3.

TWELVE YEARS LATER

Spring teased the inhabitants of Hogwarts for weeks before she finally acquiesced. As tiny buds reached up toward the sun, the smell of new growth worked its way into every crack and crevice of the castle. Even in the depths of the dungeon, one could still smell the warm fresh air. As the term wound down and the weather got warmer, the professors took off more points from young couples they caught in the many dim corners of the castle. The points were usually taken away with a wry smile from older faculty, who weren't immune to the memories that spring when they were young and in love, or as the wisdom of years taught them, young and full of hormones.

It was because of the remarkably beautiful weather that Dumbledore held the final staff meeting the day before school ended. He wanted to give the staff the opportunity to leave the same time as the students or shortly after. Dumbledore looked out the open window of the staff room, and the gladiolas always seemed to attract more bees than they did the previous year. The headmaster was currently counting them while Filch did his yearly end of term diatribe about the disrespectful actions of the student and how he was ready at a moment's notice to use the chains he kept oiled in his office. Dumbledore went to great lengths to be a compassionate headmaster, and he wanted his staff to know how much he respected them and that their concerns were heard and mattered. It was moments like this that Filch's schlock did wear a bit thin.

During a long pause, Dumbledore stepped in and took over.

"Yes, thank you, Argus. As usual, you've given us a lot to think about." Dumbledore clapped his hands in front of him. "If there isn't any more business, I say we call it a year. Have a wonderful summer."

Almost no one was in a hurry to leave. The staff started to mill around, wishing each other farewell. Flitwick in particular was settling accounts with a couple of professors from his weekly poker game, who knew he was such a card shark.

"Severus, may I have a word?" Dumbledore called after Severus before he could make a quick exit. "Minerva, you also."

At this announcement, it didn't take very long for the staff room to empty. After Minerva ended her conversation with Professor Sprout and Madam Pomfrey, she walked over to a tall burgundy chair by the fireplace, a particular favorite of hers. After she settled in, she turned her attention to the headmaster.

"Yes, Albus," Minerva said as she folded her hands in her lap. Her face had a look of skeptical impatience. Severus had come up behind the chair with his arms folded and had a similar look.

"Nicholas Flamel and his wife passed away this morning," Albus started. Minerva's face softened at the news. Dumbledore pulled from his robes a battered diary with a hole in the middle of it and held it up to both of them. "This isn't a coincidence." He set the book down on the occasional table next to Minerva. She leaned noticeably away from it, giving it a wary look out the corner of her eye. "It appears we must prepare for the worst." Minerva noticeably flinched at the name. "Other information has come to light, and it's time we take stock of our assets." Dumbledore looked over his half moon glasses at Severus "and liabilities." Severus shifted uncomfortably briefly before he reinforced his steely demeanor. "It's time, Severus."

"No." Both Minerva and Dumbledore looked at Severus with surprise. While no one could ever say Severus was a push over, this was the first time he had ever refused Dumbledore a request.

"Severus…" Dumbledore began but was cut off.

"The Fidelius charm has been effective all this time. Her whereabouts will go with me to my grave." Severus' voice was soft but resolute. "Do you know how many people died to ensure her safety?"

"Yes, actually I do," Dumbledore said flatly. "I also know that this child is not a squib and is beginning to draw attention. I also know that the repression of magical ability is one of the most dangerous actions to take." Dumbledore raised his hand to quiet Severus' objection. "In the event of his return, you know he will go to any lengths to find her. If she is here, we can train and educate her to be prepared for such a meeting."

"Excuse me," Minerva said, having watched the exchange between the two men. "Exactly who are we talking about? Is this a new student?" She twisted in her seat to look at both of them. She hated when they got like this. After a tense pause, Albus finally spoke.

"Voldemort, upon hearing the prophesy." Albus leaned back in his chair. "enlisted Severus' help in much darker and older magic. While he wanted results, he didn't want to place his life in any danger, but someone of his bloodline would be perfect to test theories on. So he sired a child."

Minerva shifted in her seat, disturbed at the revelation that not only did Lord Voldemort have a child but that the only reason it was born was so it could be a guinea pig. Severus walked over to a chair in the far corner in front of Minerva. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he continued the headmaster's story.

"The Dark Lord deemed only a pureblood witch was worthy to carry his child, but the idea of one of his followers carrying out such a task was out of the question. He didn't want any of his followers to have the illusion that he was in debt to them or that they curried any favor." Severus straightened up in the chair and looked at Minerva. "A compromise was struck, when Evan Rosier suggested his cousin Miranda, a woman from a long line of pureblood wizards and an utter squib, a complete embarrassment to her family but the perfect broodmare. From what I understand, Miranda had left several years ago to attend university in the United States, and when her family sent for her, she was working, a Muggle healer of sorts… A nurse. When she was presented with the opportunity to be something her family could be proud of, she jumped at the chance." Severus stopped, staring out the window.

Minerva looked at Dumbledore and back at Severus. Dumbledore sighed and continued.

"In addition to the research, Severus watched over the pregnancy." Dumbledore adjusted his glasses. "Severus was able to convince Voldemort that the child needed to be past infancy for effectiveness."

"Though we took plenty of blood and tissue samples in the meantime," Snape said. Bitterness flowed from him. Dumbledore closed his eyes before he continued.

"They were on the verge of discovery when Voldemort was vanquished." Dumbledore motioned toward Severus. "He secured Miranda's and the child's safety."

"And I did a damn fine job of it," Severus said as he got out of the chair. "Bringing that girl here will only put her in danger."

"I don't have to justify my decisions, Severus, she is a witch and from my reports a powerful one." Dumbledore lowered his voice.

Minerva, eager to deescalate the situation, got up and stood between them.

"So why are you sending me if Severus is the Secret Keeper?" she asked before Severus was able answer.

"Well, to be frank, Minerva, you have a way with people that Severus hasn't developed," Dumbledore said. Severus opened his mouth to say something foul, but Minerva cut him off.

"Of course, come, Severus. Let's work out a time when we can leave," she said touching his arm. "This is just like any other student retrieval." Severus nodded and reluctantly but politely complied with Minerva's effort to lead him out of the room; he was wise enough to realize the futility of the situation.


	4. Chapter 4

Ch 4

While Severus was the Secret Keeper and they had the ability to find the girl, she wasn't where he left them. He hadn't expected them to. He half hoped that they would arrive at the old address, not find them there, and have to go home.

Really, he knew better.

It wasn't hard to find them and now they stood outside a house in West Virginia. It was two stories with a sagging porch and yellowed siding that in many places was starting to come off. It was warm day and the sun was out. The neighborhood reminded Severus of Spinners End; one only had to look around at the other dilapidated houses, over grown lawns, and rusty cars to see this town was dying.

A white minivan pulled up in front of the house, the front fender was smashed in and it was more rust and primer than white paint. A heavy set older woman with graying blond hair and blue and white scrubs slowly got out of the front seat. She lumbered toward the back of the van, her back obviously causing her pain, and opened the back doors. She pulled out a couple of grocery bags before slamming the door shut a couple of time and headed toward the house. Minerva and Severus intercepted her as she came up the sidewalk.

"Excuse me," Minerva began Severus had never gone to collect a child before and decided it was best not to say anything. "Is this the Riddle residence?"

The woman looked at them a long time before answering. "In a manner of speakin' can I help you?" She looked them over once more and her eyes widened, "are you the people with the car?" She continued to talk before they could answer. "Come this way," as she motioned with her head and walked up the broken pathway to the front porch. "I'm so glad you dropped by; the lawyer said you only wanted to talk through them." She unlocked the door and stood aside for Minerva and Severus to walk in. "I'm so glad you decided to take Quinn up on her offer to apologize, who knew that a lil old condom and Draino would do that much damage to a gas tank. Just go on to your right and have a seat. You'll have to excuse the mess but I just got off a fourteen hour shift at the hospital."

Minerva and Severus went into the room off to the right and found a small living room. A blue overstuffed couch was crammed against the wall to the right, its frame broken and sagging in the middle. Severus motioned toward it looking at Minerva who then walked over and sat down. The couch squeaked under her weight and when Severus sat on the other end of the couch he was sure the thing would collapse under them. Severus looked around the room the much of the plaster was cracked many of the larger cracks were spackled and stood out bright white on off white. The only other furniture in the room was a large wooden chair with thin foam cushions depicting a covered wagon crossing the plains and a floor TV from the 60s. If the intent was to depress, mission accomplished, thought Severus.

The woman came into the living room and greeted them, "hi I'm Becky, Quinn's aunt." Becky shook both their hands. "I'm so sorry about what Quinn did to your car; she is such a spirited girl that it sometimes gets away from her." Becky sat down in the wooden chair across from Severus and Minerva.

"Excuse me," Minerva rose one hand to interrupt Becky "we aren't here about a car." The last word came out of her mouth as if it tasted bad. Becky leaned back in the chair and narrowed her eyes at Minerva.

"What did that girl do now?" Becky said her voice lowered as anger crept into her tone.

"Well, nothing actually" Minerva said with as neutral of a tone as possible, now was the make or break moment of the interaction. "My name is Minerva McGonagall and this," she motioned toward Severus "is my colleague Severus Snape. We are representatives of Hogwarts School for the Gifted; it has come to our attention that Miss Riddle possesses unique attributes that qualify her for admittance to our school."

"And how exactly did you hear about Quinn, through the school district?" Becky asked her as she crossed her arms.

"We have a variety of methods for recruitment." Minerva answered.

"Because Quinn has been homeschooled since the end of elementary school," She leaned forward in the chair looking Minerva in her eyes. "So who are you and what you want?"

Severus started to reach for his wand but Minerva placed her hand on his arm to stop him and shook her head no. Looking back at Becky she said, "We are representatives of Hogwarts but we aren't here because of her academic abilities."

"Is this about that witchywoo bullshit she does?" Becky said angrily. "I have tried my best to rid that girl of unnaturalness of her; my church has tried to drive those demons out of her." Minerva's posture stiffened at those words and Severus while there was no outward display, they both were aware of the lasting effects on students coming into the school after years of families trying to "cure" their children. "Nothing worked, that girl lied, cheated, stole, and sent the devil to possess people to get her own wicked way. That girl's mother is suffering for that girl's sins. Come here," Beck got out of the chair and headed out of the room toward the back of the house. "Look at what that girl did to her mother."

Severus was the first out of the room with Minerva close behind, they followed Becky to a sun porch in the very back of the house. Four of the walls were screened window and the middle of the room sat a woman in a rocking chair. She was looking out the window at the cars passing by.

"Mama, I'll take it from here." Becky spoke to an elderly woman sitting on a white chipped wicker chair reading. The woman got up, looking at her daughter and the two strangers behind her as she left the room. "This is Miranda Riddle and her daughter sold her soul to Satan." Becky presented the woman in the middle of the room. Miranda didn't move to look at them she continued to look out the window. "I felt the absence of the spirit when she showed up on my doorstep with her daughter but I couldn't turn them away. Miranda was one of the most innocent girls when we were in nursing school. It pained me to see her in such a state; I knew God sent them to me." Severus couldn't help but roll his eyes as Becky stormed out of the room.

"Ma'am we aren't…" Minerva said as she followed Becky.

Severus stayed behind. He slowly walked over to Miranda, her back was to him and she still looked out the window. Placing his hand on her shoulder he whispered to her, "Miranda." There was no response; he knelt in front of her looking her in the eyes. He cradled her head with one hand and smoothed back her hair with his other hand. "Jesus, what did I do to you," he whispered but Miranda looked through him with unseeing eyes. Gently he reached out his mind and touched her mind; he needed to know if there was anything left of the girl he cared for. Nothing, Miranda was gone and in her place was this shell. Still holding her head he looked at her a bit longer, feeling tear brim in the bottoms of his eyes.

"Severus." Minerva called after him.

"Coming." He called over Miranda's shoulder. Looking at Miranda one more time he leaned in and kissed her on her cheek and whispered, "I am so sorry." He rose to his feet dusting off the knees of his pants and briskly walking into the house after the two women banishing the tears as quickly as they had come.

He found Minerva standing alone in the kitchen. "She has gone to pray." Minerva spoke derisively. "She says the girl lives in the upper half of the house and doesn't come down here except to torment her poor mother's eternal soul."

Minerva led him to a dark stairwell on the side of the kitchen. They both stood for a moment and looked up at the door.

"Well, let's go take a look at Satan incarnate," Severus said before heading up the stairs.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Next Thursday is my birthday, so this will be my last update until I get back from England. I only think it's fair to write about the United Kingdom after _I've been _to the United Kingdom. As always, thanks to my wonderful beta Texterdo for his great work.

Ch 5

Again Severus let Minerva take the lead; knowing he was out of his element. In those cases he found that silence is a virtue.

Standing outside the door a flood of memories and thoughts went through his mind. Were they dealing with another budding Voldemort or was it usual Muggle religious hysterics? Will she look like her mother? What parts did the Dark Lord pass on?

Minerva's sharp rap on the door tore through his thoughts; one of things he both admired and found disturbing was how that woman could make simple actions like knocking on a door sound stern.

"Yeah, Becky? Come in." A muffled voice came through the door. Minerva looked over to him and he gave her a shrug she opened the door.

They entered a small square hallway. It was lit from above by two black light bulbs in the ceiling fixture. The walls appeared to be a dark red, Severus figured in natural light they would be painted black, silver glitter was applied above the paint and shimmered brightly under the light. In all, the room gave Severus the impression that he was in a bleeding coffin. There were three doorways in front of them, Minerva wasted no time and went in the one directly in front of them. Severus lingered, he wanted to get a better idea of the girl before he met her.

The entry way was empty except for a small square table that sat next to the door they entered. Severus picked up the pile of mail that sat on it; mostly adverts and university information. He counted seven different schools from the pile. At least the girl has plans, he thought. Setting the mail back down before he went through the doorway to his left.

The room was as oddly painted as the first. The walls painted a deep forest green with thick black vines covering the walls. He reached out at touched on of the vines, it turned out they were meticulously painted all over the walls. Severus admired the time and effort it must have taken to get the room done. The rest of the room however, left something to be desired. A twin mattress was in the middle of the floor covered in several blankets that had seen better days. Against the wall a row of three milk crates stacked four high on their sides held folded clothes in each of them. While the furnishings were shabby the room was immaculately clean, Severus walked over to the window and ran his finger along the frame. The girl was stickler to detail, he thought. He strolled over to the closet door and opened it.

"Oh my," Severus said when he saw the hydroponic system in the closet. Recognizing the plants immediately, he shut the door. So the Dark Lord's daughter also lives off the misery of others, he thought. Severus left the bedroom and headed into the doorway directly across from him.

The room apparently was the kitchen, except to the right of him was a claw foot bath tub. The room was lit like a darkroom; Severus knew it wasn't for photography. On his left was a kitchenette with some counter space, an apartment sized refrigerator and gas stove, and overhead cabinets. On the counter space were two large cooking sheets with a liquid drying on them. But it was the large worktable that caught his attention.

It looked like a small sized lab from his office. Ah, the girl fancies herself a chemist, he thought. Severus looked at the bottles of herbs and seeds, they were clearly marked. This girl was making one thing and she was cutting it with a tincture of Belladonna. Her product was a clear and organized process; there were many different stages of completion on the workbench. On the end of the table laid goggles, thick rubber gloves and a mask. Well at least she isn't completely stupid, he thought. Looking over the whole set up, he thought, if this girl is a witch then she is adding her own natural magic. This was a troubling idea; this girl is either a very popular dealer or completely ignorant killer. He turned and left the room lost is his thoughts. Maybe she will have an aptitude with potions, blotter acid isn't potion making but it was a foundation I can build on.

Then he heard a laugh that made his stop cold in his tracks, it was high pitched and very familiar. Causing a Pavlov response as the only time he usually heard that laugh it followed by a very painful punishment. Griping the doorframe he gathered himself and he heard the laugh again. This time he wasn't shocked and realized that while this laugh while very much the same this had warmth and not malicious megalomania. Breathing deep he went back to the hallway and headed toward what he can only assume was the living room.

The room he entered was the most conservative of them all. It was painted a deep brick red on one of the longer walls, while the other three were painted a soft brown. All of the exterior walls had floor to ceiling windows making it also the most well lit room he'd seen. The interior wall, the one he stood next to, had a long bookcase that spanned the length of the wall, its shelves crammed with books. So this is where her money goes, he thought. He didn't have time to look closer at the books because the girl started talking to him.

"Find what you were lookin' for Chief?" Quinn was sitting in a bean bag chair in the middle of the room. Minerva was in front of her on a torn up metal futon. When he saw her, she was not what he expected. He expected a carbon copy of Voldemort but what he had in front of him was simply a young girl. She had her father's eyes, not the red eyes that they turned into before he attacked the Potter boy but the cold brown eyes that stared down at him while he received his dark mark. Her hair color at the roots was Voldemort's but the rest of her hair was a mess of green, blue, red, and purple hair. Small braids hung around her face, the rest of the braids and dreadlocks were pulled back into a loose ponytail. The shape of her face was also her father's, though her mouth and body frame were clearly Miranda. He stared at her longer than appropriate and Quinn started to look at him funny.

"Quite." Was his reply as he sat down on the futon next Minerva.

"Professor Snape, I was telling Miss Riddle about the school," Minerva quickly filled him in on the thread of conversation.

"And I was explaining to Miss McGonagall, that my schoolin' is over," Quinn said as she leaned forward and set down a pen she was fidgeting with. Severus watched the long fingers wrapped around the pen because they were the same long thin fingers that wrapped around a wand that changed the course of his life. Quinn flashed them both a warm smile before continuing, her eyes were a deep warm brown not the cold empty ones Severus was familiar with, "I'm sorry you came this way over nothing but as soon as I turn sixteen I'm taking my GED. Besides I have friends, family, a life here. Again, I'm sorry you came all this way but I have other plans."

"This debate is purely academic," Severus cut her off but frankly the girl made him uncomfortable and he could see why her aunt was afraid of her. "You will be coming with us so your reasons are immaterial." Minerva looked at him strangely when he spoke; she preferred to take a gentler route with prospective students.

"Why is that," Quinn's voice dropped, her father's coldness creeping into her tone.

Minerva raised her hand to stop Severus; if one was going to drop a bomb it was going to be the one with more experience in these situations.

"Haven't you ever noticed strange thing happening around you? That you can sometimes make things happen," Minerva spoke. Quinn's eyes began to narrow at the woman; Quinn knew exactly what Minerva was talking about. "To be plain with you, Miss Riddle, you are a witch. As am I and Professor Snape is a wizard."

Quinn started to get up and call for Becky, but Severus cast a silencing charm on her before she got out the first syllable. Quinn stopped and grabbed her throat, trying to scream. Minerva started to go to her; she was appalled that Severus would do that to a child. Quinn, however, panicked and ran for the door. Severus again was too fast for her and she ended up running right into him.

"Severus we do not hex student," Minerva said as she continued to walk over to them.

Quinn tried to kick Severus but he spun her around, pinning her arms to her side, and picked her up. Quinn tried to kick behind her a couple of times as Minerva protested the girl's treatment. Then Quinn went still for a moment before she flung her head back as hard as she could, and was rewarded with a crack as she broke Severus' nose.

Severus heard the noise before he felt the pain. He flung the girl out away from him then reached up and touched his nose. As he looked at the blood on his hand he saw a shiny glint in Quinn's hand.

"Petrificus Totalus," Severus said and the girl froze on the spot, a small knife in her hand.

"For Merlin's sake, stop this instance. Both of you," Minerva stood between the two of them. "Never in my time have I had a retrieval go this horrible. Severus go clean yourself up." Minerva turned to Quinn, "Miss Riddle, we do not make a habit of attempting to flay our professors." Severus started to say something, but Minerva cut him off. "No, go clean yourself off." Severus glared at both Minerva and the petrified girl before turning on his heels and leaving the room.

He walked back into the kitchen/chemistry room and found the sink didn't work. Then he saw a door next to the work bench and headed toward it, hoping it was a water closet. He quickly found a light and found himself in a bright pink room with boa feathers trimming everything from the medicine cabinet, the sink, and even the toilet. He looked at himself in the mirror and saw that his nose was still bleeding like a sieve. Pointing the wand at his nose he said, "Episkey," he flinched as his nose repaired itself. He leaned over the sink and washed his face, he kept rinsing until the water turned from pink to clear. Then he looked once more in the mirror to see if there needed to be any other repairs, and thought smiling wryly to himself that the girl's father had been the last person to break his nose.

When he got back to the living room McGonagall had lifted all the hexes and calmed the girl down significantly. She just glared at him when he walked in and he did the same back. McGonagall was talking about the school but Quinn was still unconvinced Severus tried to step in.

"If you don't come with us, you will kill someone with that swill you are passing off as a good product." He said pointing to the kitchen again. "Not that you have much choice in the matter but at Hogwarts you would learn to not accidentally kill someone. Minerva, why don't you get her guardian's signature on the papers while I assist Miss Riddle in packing." Minerva reluctant to leave them alone and only left after she had both of them swear they wouldn't hurt, kill, or maim each other. Severus waited until Minerva shut the front door behind her.

"Miss Riddle, you have no choice in this matter. You will be coming with us, you will attend Hogwarts, you will work hard, and you will not sell mood altering substances to your fellow students." Severus had knelt next to Quinn and looked her in the eyes. "And you will never attack me again, is that understood?"

"Fine, how much do I need to pack?" She asked.

"Pack like you aren't coming back," he answered.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Thank the great Gods above London police are overworked or lazy; otherwise I would be sitting in jail and not writing this for you all. England is beautiful make it a point to visit sometime in your life.

Ch 6:

Severus stood in the doorway of Quinn's bedroom watching her pack. The last thing he needed was for this girl to bolt. Quinn took out an old beaten duffel bag from the bottom of her closet. Looking at her plants and then at Severus she asked, "I don't suppose you are going to let me take them are you?"

"Not on your life," he replied. Thinking about how hard he worked to pound a tiny bit of knowledge into his dunderheaded students. The last thing he needed was someone like Longbottom high on whatever substance she could brew. Quinn looked one last time at her plants and shut the door.

Severus was surprised at the detail she put into packing. Quinn took each item of clothing from the milk crates, folding them carefully before she rolled them up and placed them into the bottom of her bag. He couldn't help but notice how worn her clothing was, she would have to get new street clothes before the beginning of the new school year. There was no way he would allow the Dark Lord's daughter to look shabby in front of his Snakes.

In the end he was able to intercept two questionable boxes but was sure that he didn't get everything. Tricky little bird, he thought, definitely Slytherin. The rest of her packing went without incident until it came to Quinn's books. The uneasy truce Minerva started quickly deteriorated and almost turned into a Mexican standoff. That is until Minerva walked into the room. While both the professors were avid bibliophiles, Minerva was more sympathetic to Quinn's plight. After fetching the cigar box Minerva requested, Minerva then Reducioed the entire collection, and it was safely packed in her duffel bag.

Quinn looked around her flat once more before telling the two professors that she had one more item to get. "Could you please help me out with this," Quinn said to Severus. Severus gave her a terse nod and followed her to the living room closet. "Ok, could you reach up over the door frame? On the shelf you will feel a metal box." Quinn directed Severus, who felt like an idiot standing in a closet with his hands in the air. His hand finally touched the box.

"What is it," He asked turning the box over in his hand. It was small black and had a large silver pad lock on it. There was no way that he was handing it over without knowing what was in it.

"My savings," Quinn said holding her hand out but he didn't hand it over.

"Show me," Severus said before passing it to Quinn. She let out a heavy sigh and pulled out a small key from a chain around her neck. She unlocked the box and showed Severus. It was packed with bills. Looking closer the ones he could see were 50s and 100s. Very popular dealer indeed, he thought to himself but relieved the girl wasn't destitute.

Quinn refused to say goodbye to both her aunt and her mother, despite Severus' insistence. She led them both out the back door into the side yard. Minerva stopped her before Quinn got too far.

"How are we going to manage this," Minerva asked Severus. "Albus told me to return with you and I don't think you can side along with two."

Severus looked at her and tugged the bottom of his shirt, "I can but we need to be in closer proximity." Looking over at Quinn. "Do try and not stab me," then looking at Minerva, "excuse me Minerva." Severus put his arm around her waist pulling her close to him and he did the same to Quinn, he couldn't help but notice that Quinn stiffened under his touch.

The group apperated into a corner of the Leaky Cauldron and Severus immediately let go of the women. It had been years since he had a woman that close to him and it was quite disconcerting; even if the women in question were much too old and much too young. Staring down at the floor he straightened his already straight clothes in an attempt to regain his composure.

Minerva stepped up to Quinn and placed her hands on the girl's shoulders and looked her in the eye. "Miss Riddle I know the situation isn't ideal or of your own choosing," Minerva said, "but Hogwarts is a prestigious school and you wouldn't have been invited if you weren't Hogwarts material. With that said, try to make the most of this opportunity. We have much to offer if you are willing to learn." Quinn nodded her head in resignation. Minerva then turned to Severus. "Thank you very much for assistance," she smiled warmly. "It was certainly the most interesting retrieval I ever had." Minerva pulled out a small purse of coins and handed it to Severus. "This is from the fund. Will you get her a wand before bringing to school?"

Severus nodded, "but the girl has her own money."

"Yes, but it's all she has so let her save it. Everything else she needs is at the school or can be purchased in Hogsmeade," Minerva replied. "Good day Miss Riddle." With that Minerva disappeared with a pop.

Quinn started to wander off in the direction of the bar before Severus could stop her. Grabbing her arm and pulling her toward the back courtyard he said, "Come Miss Riddle, I have better things to do than play nursemaid today." Severus then tapped on the bricks, and opened the doorway to Diagon Alley. He looked at Quinn standing with her mouth agape. "Come on girl. Quit standing there with your mouth slack," he growled as he grabbed the strap of her duffle bag and dragged her down the street.

"Where are we," Quinn asked as she simultaneously tried to free her bag from his grasp and keep up with his long strides.

"England," Severus said tersely not letting go of her bag. Though he did slow his step and allowed her to keep up at more of her own pace. Since he was starting to get strange looks from the surrounding people as he practically dragged her.

"I know but where exactly," Quinn asked placing her feet more solidly under her and shifting her bag. With the slower pace she was able to look around her. While the buildings didn't go above four stories, the narrow streets gave the illusion that they towered over her. The cobblestone street wasn't straight, like the American streets built on a grid, the street seemed to twist with the turns of the land giving the feel that it grew up naturally from the ground rather than inflicted upon the earth. Quinn felt like she fell into a Dickens novel the way the store fronts sported large paned glass windows and eras gone masonry. As her eyes scaled the walls, they appeared to lean in over her making her feel like she was also in an Escher nightmare.

"London roughly," he said with a heavy sigh, "Diagon Alley to be exact. This is the main area of commerce in our world." As it was the weekend and awhile before school starts the street wasn't as crowded. Only a few other people made their way down the street making easy for Quinn to walk next to Severus. He was able to observe her in his periphery. Even though she put up a strong façade of being a tough mature woman, as she walked along the wide eyed wonder on her face showed her youth. He also observed how short and thin she was for her age but he couldn't tell if it was from the misguided care of her guardian or if she was petite like her mother. Her father was quite tall and as much as she resembled him, Quinn should be as tall as he was Severus thought. She could be stunted from effects of the many samples he took when she was a baby. Severus thought that a physical from Poppy would be in order and he would recommend as such to Dumbledore when they returned.

Though Quinn managed to keep up with his long strides the shape of the stones on the side walk started to hurt her feet. The rubbery soles of her shoes weren't thick enough to keep her feet from bending around them. She was going to ask where they were going but thought better of. Soon they stopped in front of a plain store. Quinn looked up and read a narrow sign that had seen better days. In faded peeling gold letters it read, 'Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC'. Before she could ask any questions, Severus pulled her inside the shop.

A small bell rung as the door opened. They entered a small narrow room. Inches of dust lay on every exposed surface except for the front counter. Quinn looked around, and aside from the wand on a moth eaten purple pillow in the window there was nothing else in the shop. When she looked behind the counter there were numerous small rectangle boxes stacked to the ceiling. Quinn saw these rows go on and on and finally disappearing into the back of the store.

"Just one moment please," A raspy male voice came out of the dark back. Soon an elderly man squeezed between the narrow shelves and stood in the front. His hair was white and wispy reminding Quinn of a cotton ball. His pale eyes looked over Severus before they widened with recognition. "Ah, young Severus birch eleven and a half inches with a Chimaeras' scale core. I trust it is working out for you," the old man asked Severus.

"Quite," Severus' voice dropped to almost a whisper. He pulled Quinn forward and finally releasing her bag strap. "If we are done with the small talk, Miss… Quinn is in dire need of a wand."

Ollivander turned his eyes to the girl Severus pushed toward him. He squinted scrutinizing every inch of her, trying to place her face. "You look like a Rosier. Are you at all related to Druella?"

"I… Uh…," Quinn stammered and looked to Severus. He stood there with his arms crossed narrowing his eyes at the old man.

"Mr. Ollivander we are here to purchase a wand not draw up family trees," Severus drawled. "Can we get on with it if you please?"

"Of course Sir," Ollivander replied as he grabbed a measuring tape and stepped from behind the counter. "I need you to set your bag down Miss Quinn." When she complied Ollivander started to take measurements of her body. First he started with her legs, then moved onto her neck, and them the length of her left arm. "Wait here Miss," he muttered before disappearing into the back.

Soon he returned with a small box. Stepping up to Quinn again as he opened it. "Try this," he said as Ollivander handed it to her. "Willow, very springy, with Veela hair core just give it a flick." When Quinn did she blew a large hole into the top of the wooden counter. "Maybe not," he said as he took the wand and placed it back into the box.

Forty two wands later Severus began to lose his temper, "Mr. Ollivander do you have a wand for this girl or do we have to go to your competitor?" That only elicited a dirty look from both Ollivander and Quinn.

"Let's try this one," Ollivander handed Quinn a wand with three braided woods. While it was heavier than the others it felt like it fit in her hand. When Quinn gave this one a flick a shower of multicolored sparks swirled around her and disappeared as they rose above her head. "Ah by oak, ash, and thorn," Ollivander whispered. "This is the first wand I made as a journeyman. I never thought I would find a match for it. It is braided oak, ash, and hawthorn; eight inches and very sturdy; with a core of dragon heartstrings, Runespoor fang, and Unicorn tail hair. I'm sorry to see it go." He took the wand and placed it back in the box a wistful look in his pale eyes. He rang up the wand and told Severus the total. "That wand will help you with any healing or defensive magic. Please treat it well." He took the money from Severus and left for the back room.

Severus had to admit his surprise. Knowing the wand choose the witch and this wand was everything that Voldemort was against. Perhaps they weren't dealing with another Dark Lord. "We need to get back to Hogwarts, no doubt the headmaster had been expecting us for quite awhile now," he said as he placed his hand on her back leading her out of the store.


	7. Chapter 7

Ch 7

"We can't do that popping thing again," Quinn said her hands up as she backed away from Professor Snape. "Seriously I just can't." Swallowing hard against the nausea and fighting back to urge to upchuck everything she had eaten in the past two weeks. The reprieve to purchase her wand wasn't enough to truly settle her stomach. "I feel like my insides are being squeezed like a tube of tooth paste. Can't we take a car? A bus," the pitch of her voice rose in insistence. "Hell, I'll walk but if we do that again I'm going to yak."

"Charming description Miss Riddle," Severus said. "We need to move along." His hand shot out to grab her wrist but by Quinn was able to dodge but only barely.

While she would never admit it aloud, Quinn was terrified. When she woke up this morning her plans didn't include going to Scotland with a crazy man claiming to be a wizard. Yes, he had shown her some amazing things in a short amount of time that supported his case. Still, these people showed up and terrified her aunt into letting them take her. Quinn's biggest fear still was she would end up as a ritual sacrifice at the end of the day. This man that stood in front of her claiming to be a teacher, he took her voice and froze her. She felt horrible and scared. When he went to grab her again her fear escalated to sheer terror. Self preservation was her only thought and she did the first thing that came to mind. Quinn started to turn to run. Severus predicted that was going to be her course of action because just as she started to turn he sprang toward her and grabbed her in a bear hug. Pinning her arms to her side, her face buried into his chest, and squeezing hard enough Quinn felt her back pop. Oh, shit I'm going to puke, was her thought as he apperated them both away from Diagon Alley.

Severus took them to the edge of the Anti-Apparition wards just outside Hogwarts' main gate. Severus stepped back from Quinn but held onto both her arms.

"Oh god," Quinn barely got out before she lurched forward. She hung onto the front of Severus' shirt with both hands as she violently threw up on the ground. While she was quick enough to not vomit directly on him, Severus was dismayed that his shoes weren't as lucky. As head of house, Severus dealt with his fair share of sick children and this certainly wasn't the first time someone puked on his shoes. He took a step back to avoid completely ruining his shoes. Severus even mustered enough sympathy and allowed her to continue to hang onto him until she was finished. "Oh god, I am so sorry," Quinn said as she hung her head; her voice was soft and raspy. Severus let go of one of her arms and cast a quick Scourgify on his shoes. Without a word, he led her up to the castle.

Just as they were outside the entrance, Severus stopped and gave Quinn a good look over. Her complexion was still a little green and she looked like she may vomit again. In his opinion, her clothing choices were atrocious. Silver tape held on the soles of her converse. Her jeans had holes from the knees up to her thighs they were much too long as the hem was worn and torn. The faded black said Nirvana but from the picture he was positive that it had nothing to do with complete enlightenment and the unbuttoned flannel shirt was almost as worn as her trousers. The girl asked him a question but he didn't hear because he was distracted by the silver ball on her tongue. Good gods, does she pierce her tongue. There were two more small rings in her eyebrows. Did she think she was a pin cushion? Her dreadlocks were grown out enough that there were a good six inches of new growth. Even pulled back it was horrid. The garish colors clashed with the three or so inches of black roots. Overall, he thought she was a complete mess.

He couldn't do anything about it now. Severus followed orders and got the girl here in one piece with a wand. Let Dumbledore take care of her.

But he could do something about the horrid color of her hair.

"Stand still you stupid girl," he growled at her. He flicked his wand at her hair. "_Naturalis concolor_," his voice barely above a whisper. Black color from Quinn's roots expanded until it was an even glossy color. Pleased with the results the corners of his mouth twitched as he slightly smiled to himself. Well it's a start, he thought. "Miss Riddle you are about to meet the headmaster. So stop your whining this instant. You will exercise what few manners you posses and speak to him with a respectful tongue." Still dissatisfied with her appearance he dusted off her shirt and pushed a couple of stray braids behind her ear. Quinn didn't flinch when he reached for her and she honestly felt too ill to put up much more of a fight. Grabbing her by her upper arm again he dragged her inside the castle.

Quinn's head was swimming while her stomach continued to do somersaults. She didn't see the uneven stone in the floor until she tripped over it. Breaking out of Severus' grasp, she toppled unceremoniously to the floor. The arm that reflexively threw out to catch her landed on the edge of her hand. She slipped scrapping her hand, arm and face. The abrasions tore just enough skin to bleed enough to be a nuisance. Quinn heard Severus growl and say, "Come on." He grabbed her duffle bag and lifted her back onto her feet like she was a rag doll. He continued to drag her down the corridor with her feet barely touching the ground. In pain and feeling completely sick and panicked, she didn't notice or care where she was being taken.

It wasn't until they started to go up a narrow spiral staircase did he allow her to walk again. At the top the doorway was blocked by a large gargoyle, Severus squared his shoulders and muttered something that sounded like pixi sticks before it moved out of the way. Never letting go of her bag strap he pulled her into a large office. He was still worried she would run away.

Severus nudged her forward. Quinn's eyes widened as she entered the cavernous room. Over half the walls were floor to ceiling bookshelves and that was what she noticed first. The room was large and round the half with the shelves was raised by three steps. To her left was the largest fireplace she had ever seen. She could have easily fit her beater Civic up it. On the right side of the room it was a semi circle raised with pillars and floor to ceiling book shelves. A large oak desk with decoration on the front sat in the middle of two stair cases and in front of a loft area. Behind the desk was a smiling man that looked like a cross between Gandalf and ZZ Top. The old man's smile faded when he got a good look at the scrapes on her face.

"Great Merlin, Severus," the old man said and jumped up from behind the desk and moved toward Quinn. "What did you do to the girl?"

"If you are talking about her clothing or her injuries," Severus drawled his arms crossed and he leaned against the doorway. "She apparently enjoys looking like something that crawled out of a trash bin and therefore I had nothing to do with it. If you are speaking of her injuries, Miss Riddle lacks the ability to appropriately use her feet."

Severus received an icy look from Albus as he examined Quinn's injuries. He lifted her chin up tilting her head back to get a better look.

"Ah, nothing to see Poppy about," he muttered letting her go. Turning his back to her and walked back to his desk. "Please have a seat Miss Riddle." Quinn looked over at Severus, who appeared content to stand in the doorway watching them. She shrugged and sat in one of the winged back arm chairs in front of the headmaster's desk.

"Welcome to Hogwarts Miss Riddle," the headmaster said after he sat down. Then pointing to a large candy dish that sat on the edge of his desk, "lemon drop?"


	8. Chapter 8

Harry Potter and Company isn't my property. Nor is the Lord of the Rings Trilogy or the Hobbit. Or Dungeons and Dragons. Therefore, I'm not making any money off of this. I do it for the love.

A/N: I realize that I am borrowing a language that I know next to nothing about. I also realize that some hard core fans will recognize the language. So apologies all around if I offended you.

Reviews are appreciated.

Ch 8

"I'm sorry if I am coming across as hostile," Quinn snapped at Dumbledore. "but I've been abducted by Dracula," she motioned to Severus who still stood in the doorway, "dragged to Middle-Earth by order of Jerry Garcia." She sat crossed legged in the chair with her arms folded across her chest. "I don't know what you want from me, I don't want to go to your school, I want to turn sixteen so I can get emancipated and get the hell out of my shitty little town."

"Scotland," Dumbledore said.

"Excuse me?" Quinn looked a little baffled but it did stun her out of her rant.

"You're in Scotland, not Middle-Earth," Dumbledore said flatly. He was clearly getting tired of the argument. "I can understand how this would be confusing and a bit overwhelming." He smiled as Quinn reached out and took a couple more lemon drops. "Your place is here. You're a witch with raw unharnessed power and here we can teach you control. Here we can enable you to live up to your full potential."

"I'm not interested."

"You don't have a choice," Dumbledore's tone hardened. Enough of this foolishness, she needed to accept her fate.

"I have a life."

"You will start a new one here," He raised his hand to stop her objection. "This summer you will make up for some of the lost work. I believe that if you really apply yourself, then you will be able to easily test into your third year. You'll graduate late but you will certainly enjoy the extra time you have here." Dumbledore reached into his desk and pulled out a small pile of papers. "Usually Hogwarts offers scholarships to students, such as yourself, who don't have the financial support of their parents. However as you are of working age, I believe our work study program will suit you best." He handed the paperwork over to Quinn who started to shuffle through it. "As you don't yet excel in any subject, the best I can offer is a position in our kitchens. Minerva told me that you had quite the set up in your kitchen back home. So you should feel quite at home. Our kitchen manager, Antien, will be pleased at having a new staff member. As you can see the rate of pay will more than cover your tuition and supplies plus give you a small bit left over for personal needs.

Quinn sighed it was finally sinking in that she wasn't going anywhere until they told her to. She dug around in her pocket for a pen and signed at the glowing red X on the last page. Handing the papers back to Dumbledore she then sat back and waited. Not really sure what would happen next.

"Then it's settled," the headmaster said as he rose from his chair. "Severus will show you to your quarters and you will report back to this office promptly at six. I would like to introduce you to some of your professors and we can get you sorted at that time." He laid he arm across the back of her shoulders and led her over to the door. "Try not to damage her anymore, Severus." The headmaster's eyes sparkled as he laughed at his own joke.

"Antien, may I speak with you a moment?" Albus said after he heard his door shut.

With a small pop an elderly house elf appeared in front of Albus. The elf was bent over almost completely at the waist from arthritis and leaned heavily on two canes that looked like small wooden ladles.

"Suilaid Albus," the elf said and shifted uncomfortably.

"Suilaid Antien," Albus said back and motioned toward the chairs in front of his desk. "Please sit with me." Albus took out his wand and pointed it toward the chair closest to Antien. "Diminuendo," he said and the chair shrunk to a size fit for a house elf. "Is there anything I can get you?" The elf waved him off as slowly hobbled over to the chair and sat down. He laid his canes carefully against the side of the chair before he looked up at the headmaster. "How is the summer treating you?"

"Mani naa ta, Albus? I have a kitchen to run," the old elf said irritated. There were only three months before the term started and so much planning to do. Antien wasn't usually called unless it someone had a food allergy. "Young people like you don't appreciate the amount of work it takes to keep you fed," he raised a gnarled finger at Albus.

"I need you take on a new staff member," Albus began. Antien had been working in Hogwarts long before Albus was born. It was best to be as concise as possible. Albus had the misfortune to be on the wrong side of Antien's ire before and for his plan to work he would need the elderly elf's full cooperation. Antien narrowed his eyes at Albus, knowing something was up.

"You never phrased it like that any time you acquire another house elf," Antien instantly suspicious of Albus' intentions. That boy had given him plenty of trouble as a student and he had grown to be one of the most unorthodox headmasters in Hogwart's history.

"That's because I'm sending you a human," Albus said and sat back getting ready for Antien's response.

"A human," Antien repeated slowly. Albus merely nodded. "You can't be serious. What am I going to do with a human?"

"I have a unique situation," Albus started.

"Boy, you have been the bane of my existence since you first set first…"

"I have Lord Voldemort's daughter," Albus shouted over Antien's rant. Antien immediately got quiet.

"I don't see how that has anything to do with my people," Antien said quietly and started to get up.

"Please, here me out," Albus tried again. "We have only recently brought her here as a student. I can't have her going down the same path as her father. From what Minerva told me the girl is well on her way. She knows what it is to work but she needs humility. She needs to understand." Albus spoke quickly before Antien disappeared.

"Exactly how do we fit into this equation," Antien stopped at least listening. "We aren't responsible for the short comings of you society."

"I only have two years before she comes of age. Only under Elfish tradition can she quickly learn what it means to be part of a community," Albus said. "I need her to care."

Antien thought for a moment. There was the occasional dimwitted elf that would shadow someone. Perhaps such an arrangement could work with a human. They weren't very bright and awfully lazy, he thought. Though unorthodox Albus never harmed any of the elves under his care. Perhaps the situation could work, if properly handled.

Severus briskly walked in front of Quinn toward the stairs leading directly toward the fourth floor. Most of the guest quarters were located by the North Tower, but one or two were situated near the library. A resource that he was positive she would need this summer. He saw out the corner of his eye that Quinn started lagging behind as they crossed the entry way.

While she was grateful he wasn't dragging her like a ragdoll anymore, she did wish he would slow down. The few lemon drops she had sat heavy on her stomach and all she wanted to do was lie down. Eventually she stopped and readjusted her bag on her shoulders. Her lower back started to cramp under the weight of her life's possessions.

"Hey, Mr. Long legs," Quinn called after Severus before he reached the stairs, "could you please slow down." Severus looked over at her, growling he stormed back toward her. He lifted the bag off her shoulder and started to walk toward the stairs again.

"Mind the stairs," He said as they started to climb, "they like to change. You will be staying on the fourth floor next to the library. I imagine you will spend a good deal of your time in there." He gripped the rail and caught Quinn around the waist as the stair case started to shift. "You will find all everything you need in your rooms and I don't suggest you wander about the castle until you get a good handle on where things are." When Severus let her go he continued the lecture on basic school rules as they continued down the hall. His voice droned on, convincing Quinn that he loved the sound of it more than actually imparting knowledge.

She managed to get a good look at him as she listened to him talk. His black hair was limp and greasy. It fell in front of his eyes. Reminding Quinn of a couple of singers that she liked, smiling at the thought. She wondered how old he was, he wasn't too old, over thirty definitely but not by much. Not particularly attractive and he had a horrible personality, if first impressions were any indication. While he had done nothing but act like a complete bastard since she met him, surely there had to be some redeeming quality. Musing to herself she didn't notice he stopped and almost ran into him.

"Please pay more attention Miss Riddle," he snarled at her. "This is your rooms. You'll find everything you need. I suggest you smarten yourself up before dinner. If you own anything that doesn't look like you got it out of a dumpster, I suggest you wear it." With that he turned on his heel and walked away from her.

Quinn entered her room and gasped with surprise. It was almost as large as her apartment back home. The sitting area had several empty bookshelves a large plush chaise lounge in deep purple. A fireplace sat in front of it with a small fire burning to take the edge of the chill. Quinn set her bag down by the door and walked toward one of the two doors that were on either side of the fire place.

The room she entered was the bed room. A large four poster bed with a deep red duvet cover on it, matching curtains tied back with thick silver cord hung from the canopy. Quinn walked over and ran her hand across the covers, surprised at how amazingly soft they were. She opened a wardrobe and found several hangers a few drawers and she went and retrieved her bag.

Emptying her belongings out on the bed, Quinn made short work of putting away her clothes. Looking around for a desk, there wasn't one in the bed room; she headed back out to the sitting area. One was placed next to the window behind the chaise lounge. Quinn set the few office items she had but looked out the window before she went to retrieve anything else.

The view looked out an impossibly green courtyard and into a seemingly endless forest. It wasn't the best view in the world but it was as green as the camping areas Quinn visited during the summer. She found it both breathtaking and familiar. Perhaps it would take the edge off the homesickness that she knew would come. Ahh… A prison with a view, she thought.

Going back to her bag she took the box of books and set them on the desk also. She would have to ask how to get them to regular size. Hopefully from Professor McGonagall, if she didn't see Professor Snape until the fall it would still be too soon.

While the rooms themselves were simple in furnishings and decoration, Quinn found them to be completely decadent and loved the sophistication of few items for her to use. Taking her toiletries to the bathroom she squeaked in surprise when she saw her hair.

Walking up to the mirror she examined the color. She knew it to be her natural black but… Turning her head, perhaps it was time to go back. Sighing looking at her hair style, she loved the dreads when she first got them but she had to admit it was looking pretty bad with them growing out like this. Quinn began to unbraid the multitude of small braids that managed to escape from the dreadlocks. Letting them out of the ponytail while digging for a pair of scissors, Quinn thought that this look would probably inappropriate when school started. I think that I looked good with that pixy cut a few years ago, she thought as she started cutting her hair.


	9. Chapter 9

For Unto Us Chapter 9

Severus listened carefully as he walked away from Quinn's room When he heard the click of the door shut he resumed his long strides toward the dungeons. He hoped the girl had enough sense to stay in her room and not wander the castle at night. If she had any of her father in her, he seriously doubted that she would be there when he came to retrieve her later.

It won't be anything to review all my old notes. Thinking as he turned down the stairs that lead to his personal lab. That foolish old man, what was he thinking?

Unwarding the door the torches on the wall sprung to life as he entered the room. Passing several bubbling cauldrons he watched out of the corner of his eye, ever the potion master, checking each stasis charm. Severus strode up to a locked cabinet and pulled out a thick, worn, brown leather book. Taking it over to one of the few clean work areas he set it down and opened the cover.

When the Dark Lord comes back, he will expect progress. Especially now with Quinn so close he would definitely have to show some signifigant progress. It had been over ten years. With how everything played out… Severus knew he had a lot to answer for.

Pulling out a Wizard photograph from the back of the book, Severus laid it next to the book as he started to scan his notes. Wiping his hand over his face and sighing heavily before looking down at the, a much younger Miranda stood smiling her hands cradled her very pregnant stomach before she pulled a much younger Severus into the frame with her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek while he tried his hardest to look put out by it. Severus remembered when the photo was taken. He had only gotten his Mastery only a few months prior and he still was very much the devoted Death Eater. Miranda was just a sweet girl who wanted her family to accept her. It wasn't about furthering a megalomaniac's agenda; their mission was to carve out a place in the world where they belonged. Needing acceptance was the thing they had in common.

Flipping through his pages of notes trying to focus on the research and not the people involved. Tracing his finger over a hand drawn Ouroboros, there was some promising results concerning some early blood samples and… That was all myth. There was a Chinese master that had recently come up with some interesting findings concerning some ancient fungus. He would have to find the article and see if something would fit. Severus wanted to exhaust any modern findings before he delved back into the ancient magics. Not that he thought that anything new would be helpful, but it would delay anything Severus would come up on his own.

He couldn't make the same mistake with Quinn that he made with Miranda. He couldn't allow himself get that close to her. Severus paused in his reading. No, he was stronger now. He didn't need a surrogate family. He didn't need the kind of companionship he craved as a young man. Years of solitude had hardened him against such nonsense. Only because they came from similar backgrounds of neglect and abuse were they able to become like brother and sister. A vivid image of Miranda holding him while he wept on Lily's wedding day came to mind before he could stop it. Miranda was his best friend, his sister, who loved and accepted him; even in the ways Lily couldn't.

Distance, emotional and otherwise, that is what he needed Quinn would be like any other self absorbed dunderhead he taught. He doubted he will have the same problem of transference with Quinn. The girl is clearly Voldemort twice over. Pondering what the Dark Lord will think of his daughter when he returns. That was another item to deal with... He needed to walk the razors edge of molding Quinn into a witch the Dark Lord would be proud of and not actually molding her into a witch that the Dark Lord would be proud of. Dear god, he didn't want another Bellatrix on his hands.

Severus pushed Quinn out of his mind as he walked over to his book shelf. After selecting a couple of tomes he thought would help, he was soon ensconced in reading to worry about his past or Quinn's future.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Sorry about the late update but I've gotten into a creative writing program that has taken up quite a bit of time. Though I will try to update at least once a month.

Chapter 10:

Does not play well with others.

That's what her first report card said. Quinn was never one to fit into the conventional education system and when she finally left it was a relief to both her and the school. If Hogwarts wanted her then they would have to take her on her own terms.

Standing in front of the full-length mirror in her room, Quinn parted her new short black hair on the side and smoothed it back. While she didn't want to be here some part of her felt that it was right that she make a good impression on her professors.

Now began the task of finding something decent to wear. Quinn figured that her usual jeans and t-shirts wouldn't be appropriate. Flipping through the clothes she hung up, Quinn was sure she still had that black skirt.  
"Yes," Quinn said as she pulled the hanger out of the wardrobe and examined the clothing. It had been a few months since she wore it last. To court actually after that unfortunate incident with the gas tank… It was made to look like crushed velvet but was made of an unbelievable light and stretchy fabric. Quinn liked it because of the mobility it offered her. Slipping it on and adjusting it, it fell mid thigh and clung to her still developing curves. Not horribly short, Quinn thought. It did however show of one of her two tattoos.

About a year ago Quinn had this dream she was walking through a field at night. She wasn't afraid in fact she felt powerful, like nothing could stop her. As she made her way to the top of the hill a flash of light flew up into the sky. Looing up she saw a skull shimmering green and a snake coming out of its mouth. The snake lunged toward Quinn but disappeared like falling glitter right in front of her.

The dream was so vivid more than any other dream she ever had. Thinking it must mean something, Quinn had one of her friends draw what she described and traded two ounces of weed for the tattoo. A small skull was placed between her ankle bone and her Achilles' tendon and the snake wrapped its way around her leg growing larger as it went higher until the hissing mouth of the python laid on the outside of her upper calf. It hurt like a mofo but Quinn wanted the detail to be perfect. She was quite happy with it. The artist managed to put all the intricate detail in without making it so large it took over the entire leg.

Quinn thought for a moment that showing of her tats wouldn't be the best way to make an impression but the malcontent in won over. If they wanted her here so damn bad then they would get her. All of her. With that thought Quinn pulled out a knit purple halter. If she was going to show off the body art they might as well see the rest. Slipping the shirt over her head Quinn thought about Gabby. Gabby knitted this particular top around the same time that Quinn got the skirt. It was a rather plain knit stich in lavender sport weight yarn with some ribbing at the bottom. Gabby took three hours at the store to pick the yarn. After rejecting just about every one, they found this batch crammed in the corner of the bins.

"Can't have my girl look like shit," Gabby answered to Quinn's protests.

The collar came up and around her neck like a chocker. Quinn turned and looked over her shoulder in the mirror to tie the short braided strings. Before she turned around she pulled down the back, making sure as much of the tattoo was visible. The blue Mobius strip stopped right at her tail bone and traveled up to the top of her spine just below the neck. Most people thought she was nuts to get such large tattoos at such a young age but Quinn was certain, when she looked at her mother, that she wouldn't be getting much bigger. Not enough to screw up the art. The Mobius strip was the newest, having just finished healing a couple of weeks prior. It was a lovely shaded blue; Quinn truly thought the artist outdid himself with this one. At certain angles, and under UV light, you could make out runes in the middle of the strip. Quinn got the rune pattern from an old bracelet her mother used to have. When Becky went off the deep end about it being the devil's jewelry and got rid of it, Quinn decided that she wanted to get another tattoo. Though it was an act of pure rebellion it still was meaningful. In Quinn's logic she thought it was a way to honor her mother. Pissing her aunt of was just a bonus.

Quinn walked out into the sitting area and looked at the clock on the mantle, she had a few minutes before she needed to leave. After taking another cigar box off of her bed Quinn sat on the chaise. Opening the box, Quinn pulled out several tiny musical instruments. One electric guitar, one electric bass, two acoustic guitars, and a viola box, McGonagall assured her that the spell wouldn't have any adverse effect on the instruments. Quinn laid them on the coffee table in a row. She hoped that she could get them unshrunk soon.

By necessity Quinn had to grow up fast but the one thing she had, outside of her books, was her music. It started simple enough, while her mother was still coherent she bought Quinn a toy guitar. As her mother started to fade form the world Quinn would play for her. Eventually when Miranda was gone Quinn would retreat into a world of fantasy and music. A place where nothing could touch her, a place where she was safe, in the moments while Quinn played she felt like a normal fifteen year old girl. Not some juvenile spawn of Satan.

Quinn looked at the clock again, ten minutes till. She got up and headed to the door. When she opened it she found Snape, with his hand raised, as he was about to knock on the door.

He was startled by the similarity between her and her father. It was much more pronounced with her hair short. Severus remembered the memories that Dumbledore had shown him. The resemblance was almost uncanny. Quickly masking his features, he gave her a cursory glance.

"Come along Miss Riddle," he said before he tuned and strode down the hall. Quinn trotted behind him to catch up.

The walk was mostly silent. Until Quinn darted a little ahead and did a cartwheel down the hall, standing back up she saw the dour potion master scowling at her with his arms crossed.

"Control yourself," he said before walking off again.

Quinn resisted the urge to continue irritating Snape but she didn't have to resist very long because they came to the statue of the gargoyle at the foot of the headmaster's stairs. Quinn could have sworn that she saw a little color rise to his cheeks as he said pixi sticks. Then she could have been mistaken. She smirked as she followed him up the stairs.

"Ah, Miss Riddle," Dumbledore said when Snape and her walked into the room. He paused for a moment when he saw Quinn but quickly recovered. Not fast enough though, Quinn noticed the dark cloud that passed over his features. "I would like to introduce you to two of your professors." Albus came around the desk and lead Quinn over to a small table where Professor McGonagall and two other people sat at. Severus took a seat next to a small man. He looked more like a child if it weren't for the dated suit and the wrinkles. All three collectively gasped when they saw Quinn. Quinn smiled at them nervously uncertain as to how to proceed. "Miss Riddle, this is Professors Sprout our herbology professor and Flitwick our charms professor." The group stared mutely at her. Dumbledore pulled out a chair for Quinn. "If you'll excuse me for one moment, I'll go get the hat."

Quinn sat and fidgeted with her fingers as the silence grew larger and more awkward. It felt like decades before the headmaster returned. She started when he placed a large hat on her head. If it weren't for the headmaster's hands on her shoulders she would have jumped up when the hat began to talk inside her head.

"Another Riddle eh?" Its voice deep and gruff "didn't think I'd see another one of you ever again."

"Have you had many," Quinn thought back.

"No, just one and one was more than enough," the hat hesitated but went on. "It was a shame about poor Tom. So much potential…"

"Tom is my father."

"I know… I don't think you're like him though. A brilliant mind here, just like him. Cunning. You may well belong in Slytherin but I think you have enough cunning to last you several lifetimes." The hat shifted on her head, it was a disconcerting feeling. "Should develop your other skills. Maybe you'll be on another path than him."

"What path is that?"

"Better be…" The hat spoke the last word aloud. "Ravenclaw."


	11. Chapter 11

For Unto Us:

Chapter 11

A/N: True to my word, an update within a month. While I normally akin authors that ask for reviews with prostitution, I would like to see if anyone is actually reading this. I show that I'm getting a healthy amount of hits. So feedback is welcome. But I digress.

The audible sigh of relief given in unison by three of professors didn't go unnoticed by Quinn; neither did the sudden distinct green tinge Professor Flitwick turned. She quirked an eyebrow as she filed their reactions away, something wasn't adding up with the situation. Quinn could drive a truck with the holes in the story they were trying to feed her but for now she would go with it. Other than some disagreeable transportation issues, no one had done anything that could be interpreted as harmful toward her. Yeah she wasn't hot about going to an organized school other than college… Harsh words didn't count, being a prick didn't mean anyone was out to hurt you. Quinn looked over to Professor Snape, who was in turn studying her intently. Severus' mouth twitched in a quick smile when Quinn started when Dumbledore clapped his hands.

"Now that we have that bit of business out of the way," Dumbledore took the hat and returned it to its spot in one of the numerous cabinets.

When the hat said Ravenclaw Severus was so relieved that he could have kissed the damn thing. She wouldn't be his problem. Let Filius deal with the delinquent…

"…Of course Professor Snape would need to give you practicals for you to be proficient enough to enter third year," Dumbledore's voice broke through Severus' thoughts.

Fuck. Severus cursed in his head.

"But enough talk about lessons. Professor Flitwick will arrange everything you need to get you started on Monday." Dumbledore sat down between Quinn and Professor Flitwick. While sliding her chair over to make room for Professor Dumbledore one of Quinn's chair legs caught on an uneven stone causing her to tumble off of her chair and into Professor Snape. Throwing out her hand to catch her weight she ended up gripping high on the professor's thigh

"Excuse me," Quinn muttered as she straightened her chair and sat back down.

"I hope you are more coordinated during your potion lessons," Severus growled back while swatting her hand away. He glowered when he saw the corner of her mouth quirk up into a smile at his comment.

"Miss Riddle is here under," Dumbledore began to explain to the group. He paused before continuing, "unusual circumstances. Her mother had taken up residence outside of the country and later became incapacitated. Her current muggle guardians simply didn't know what to do. So Miss Riddle managed to fall through the cracks. Unfortunate but it does happen from time to time." He looked at Quinn. "Usually by the time we have a student your age, we have several years of establishing a rapport with your professors." Then he addressed the rest of the table. "My hope is that we can get better acquainted tonight and what better way to do that than by breaking bread." With those words he clapped his hands again and the table was suddenly covered with a dinner setting. "Now let's learn a little about our new student and let her likewise get used to the idea of attending school very far away from her home."

The other professors began to eat not looking up from their plates, avoiding eye contact with both Quinn and Professor Dumbledore lest they be pulled into conversation. All of the professors were informed of exactly whom Quinn was and was told that the story of falling off the map was to save Quinn from any humiliation from the students.

Quinn looked down at her plate and felt her stomach flip. Steam rose up off of a portion of baked chicken breast. Quinn started to feel ill again. Scanning her plate for something edible she saw that even the vegetables had butter melting on them. She took a sip of water trying to will her stomach to stop flipping.

Resigning herself to another hungry night Quinn looked around the table, and began to time the silence that drew out longer and became more awkward. Enough, she thought. Just because they weren't interested in starting a conversation it didn't mean she couldn't make the initiative. It will give her something to keep her mind off of the plate of noxious rotting flesh and animal secretions on her dinner plate.

"Mr. Flitwick," Quinn said and the small man looked up at her with what she would describe as deer in headlight eyes.

"Yes," he said slowly in a tone like he was expecting her to come across the table at him.

"I'm a little confused. You're my head of house but what does that mean?" Quinn asked.

"Oh," he said surprised. "Well, in order to help facilitate the guidance of our students we break them into houses…" Quickly warming to the topic, Hogwarts history was a hobby of Flitwick's. He began to speak at length about the founders. Rowena Ravenclaw in particular. Both Professors McGonagall and Sprout visibly relaxed the longer he spoke. Severus sat stiffly as ever. Quinn asked leading questions urging him to keep talking. Apparently Rowena was an accomplish herbalist and with Professor Flitwick's encouragement, Quinn was able to draw Professor Sprout into the conversation. She found that the more people talk the closer they often felt to the person showing a genuine interest. However, unlike times before she didn't have to feign interest. She warmed to the topic also.

The child is a sociopath like her father, Severus thought. Before she graduates I won't be surprised if she starts going by Lady Voldemort. Looking at Quinn he shot her a look that said 'I know who you are and you can pull the wool over their eyes but I see through you'.

Dumbledore amused by Quinn's ability to charm her professors, glanced over at Quinn's untouched plate. Quinn was for once too engrossed in the topic of the attributes of the Ravenclaw house to notice.

"My dear is there something wrong with your food?" Dumbledore said during a break in Flitwick's lecture. Quinn's face started to turn red and she looked down at her plate.

"No Sir," Quinn paused not sure how to answer a question so bluntly asked to her. Normally people didn't notice her eating habits or very much else about her. "I just.. See…"

"Yes," Dumbledore kindly urged.

"I'm a vegan," Quinn said then continued when she saw confusion flash across the old wizard's features. "I don't eat meat or anything that comes from animals."

"You don't eat meat." Dumbledore said.

"I have a problem eating something that felt pain when it died." Quinn said. She noticed that all sound stopped during this exchange.

"You, Quinn Riddle, don't eat meat because you think it's cruel?" Dumbledore said again. Then he smiled brightly. "Brilliant." He waved his wand toward he plate and it disappeared. Then snapping his fingers a creature appeared on the side farthest from Quinn. She couldn't get a good look but it looked like… Well she wasn't sure what it looked like. "Ellie, Miss Riddle doesn't eat meat or anything that comes from animals. Would you kindly bring her a plate of what the house elves are eating tonight." The creature craned its neck and looked over at Quinn.

"Are you sure," The creature squeaked. "She is a witch and we are elves." That answer seemed to make Dumbledore smile more.

"That would be wonderful." He said and the creature disappeared.

A moment later a plate of rice and curried vegetables appeared in front of Quinn. After glancing over her plate quickly, she picked up her fork and began to eat. Much better than the rice and beans Quinn usually ate, cooking was never her forte. Apparently her veganism pleased more than just Dumbledore because the other professors began to talk to her and ask questions.

"How are you finding Scotland?" Professor Sprout asked.

"Much different than what I'm used to," Quinn said between bites. Not realizing how hungry she was. Then she remembered the only thing she had all day was a cup of coffee and fruity pebbles sometime around five in the morning. "It makes the Plantation house next to mine look new." Everyone but Snape chuckled at that. Now that almost everyone was more open to talking to her, Quinn felt that it was safe to ask about her things and calling home. "Professor McGonagall how do I unshrink my stuff."

"Oh the house elves will take care of that," she answered.

"Yes, part of the fun about moving to Hogwarts is figuring out where they place your belongings when they unpack you," Professor Sprout said laughing.

"Is there a phone or an address I can give out to keep in touch with home," Quinn said. Someone had to get rid of the half-baked acid and her plants before Becky came up there messing around.

"That would not be wise," Snape said interrupting as Flitwick started to answer. He had to put an end to this nonsense just because no one could see how the girl was manipulating all of them that didn't mean that he had to go along with it. She needed to learn her place. "As I told you before we left, you would not be returning."

"Severus…" Dumbledore began.

"After we are done here follow me back to my office and we address any concerns you have after we set up your study schedule." Professor Flitwick said as he gave Professor Snape a hard stare. Filius rarely pulled rank on Severus but then Severus never interfered with his management of the student's in Ravenclaw. Indeed this girl was rough around the edges and her parentage was unfortunate but she was bright and inquisitive. She made efforts to be polite. After a couple of bumps Miss Riddle would be quite the asset to Ravenclaw.

"No matter," Snape began, "I doubt your mother will have noticed your absence at the moment let alone any letter you send her."

"Excuse me." Quinn looked at him incredulous at his harsh words.

"Did I stutter Miss Riddle?"

"I'm not in your class yet and you do not get to talk to me that way," Quinn began but Severus started to talk over her.

"You'll find that I can talk to you any way I wish." Severus words came out in a sardonic tone but Quinn continued.

"My mother may not be able to understand me but she did teach me some manners. Did your mother manage to do that or was she spending too much time trying to figure out who your father was."

Severus' mouth slammed shut upon hearing that never had anyone let alone a student speak to him in such a manner. Just as he was starting to put this upstart Yank child in her place he was cut off by a voice from across the table.

"Severus you'll find that you can't talk to her in such a manner." Professor Flitwick broke into the fight. "Miss Riddle, I know that the American culture is more brash than what we have here at Hogwarts but I think even there you were just as out of line as Professor Snape."

Severus crossed his arms and glared at his colleague.

"I have every right to correct any student as I see fit Filius."

"Yes, but you don't get to verbally abuse my Ravenclaws, _Severus_." Professor Flitwick said. "I don't involve myself with the inner workings of your house," Flitwick said returning the glare he gave wayward students. He hated to do that to Severus but it did get the man to behave more civilly when he stepped over the line. "I trust with that with Miss Riddle's situation she is essentially a ward of the school. As she is in my house I will be functioning in loco parentis."

"Then I can't be responsible for her safety if you are going to treat her so cavalierly." Severus rose from the table before he nodded toward Dumbledore. "Headmaster." Severus swept out of the room.

Quinn noticed the eye roll Professor Sprout gave Professor Flitwick.

"Come along Dear," Professor Flitwick said as he slid off his chair. "We'll get you set up with your studies." With those words he left the office and Quinn took it to mean that she was to follow him.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Thank you for reading my little story here. I promise that the action will pick up soon. Just want to lay some background and establish some relationships. Thank you for you patience.

Chapter 12

"Foolish crazy old man," Severus hissed under his breath as he quickly paced back and forth in his sitting room. Suddenly he looked at his bar like it just appeared out of thin air. He stormed over to it and poured a healthy measure of fire whiskey. For once the irony that it was the same brand his father drank was lost on him. After downing it in one go, he poured another and commenced his pacing.

What kind of game was Albus playing? For years he stood by and watched how Dumbledore groomed the Potter brat into… He couldn't quite figure out what he was forming the boy into. But Quinn… It was like Albus wanted the opposition to know he had her. Almost like… "We're all just fucking pawns to him aren't we," Severus muttered as he sipped his drink. Those final thoughts took the wind out of his sails. Severus couldn't tell if it was trust in a higher plan or impotence at changing a force that moved like nature. Grabbing the bottle off his bar he sat in his chair by the fireplace and continued to drink.

Five drinks and about an hour later, Severus was much drunker than he had been in years. Not much of drinker to begin with, he had the habit of drinking like a slow burn. Never getting drunk but mostly pleasantly buzzed. In breaking this habit the whiskey gave him courage needed for action, no matter how stupid the course may be. Feeling completely powerless in the situation and marching up to Dumbledore and re-breaking his nose was out of the question so he decided that someone needed to warn Quinn about the conniving old man. In fact someone needed to warn her right now. Slowly and as carefully as he was able he stood up. Grasping the back of the chair to steady when he felt himself sway.

"Pawns," Severus said as glared at the door. Pausing to get his bearings. He then staggered toward the door. By the time he hit the hallway he managed to find a comfortable pace that didn't involve him bumping into the walls. Though he did steady himself on them every now and then.

"My office is located in the Ravenclaw tower. It's a couple of stories below the dormitory so if you ever need anything then it should be easy to come by," Professor Flitwick said as he walked briskly down the hall. Quinn found that despite his small size, he was almost as difficult to keep up with as Professor Snape. "It happens more often than what Professor Dumbledore let on, more and more students are starting late. So don't feel awkward about your situation."

After climbing a long circular stairs they came to a landing midway up the tower. Quinn looked up the stairs as Professor Flitwick riffled through his pockets until he found a small ring of keys. Selecting the one skeleton key from the set he unlocked the door.

"I thought you would have spelled it shut," Quinn commented dryly.

"Oh," the professor replied chuckling. "I could have but this is Hogwarts such security is almost never needed. Especially what would any student want that an ordinary lock wouldn't stop them?" The professor chuckled at Quinn's comment as he walked into the office. "Come in Dear and have a seat. Most student's find the sofa most comfortable"

Quinn followed him into the office. The room was decorated mostly in royal blue and gold tones with dark wood furniture. Everything was half the size as normal. Quinn found the sofa and it while lower to the ground it was mostly shaped big enough as an over stuffed chair.

Professor Flitwick headed to a small room behind his desk and from what Quinn could see it was just a large book annex. She craned her neck to make sure that the small professor was busy. After she was positive he wasn't paying attention, Quinn smiled and raised her hands and began to take large steps around the room making Godzilla sounds and small screaming sounds for the people on the floor. She made a small circle around the room but stopped when she got to Professor Flitwick's desk. Then a shinny piece of paper caught her attention.

"Bellagio poker tournament", Quinn raised an eyebrow.

"These books are spelled…" Professor Flitwick said as he walked back into the room. Quinn didn't notice until he cleared his throat. When she looked up from the pamphlet she dropped it on the table.

"I'm sorry. I…" She began.

"Oh, think nothing of it," Professor Flitwick dismissed cheerfully. "I've learned a long time ago not to keep anything in my office, let alone my desk, that I didn't want my curious Ravenclaws to see." Taking the paper from her. "As I was saying, these books are spelled," he said as he handed her a small pile of eight books. "Just tap the first page of each chapter with your wand and the lecture I give for the chapter will be heard. And…" He took one of the charms book and flipped to a page that had an incantation. Professor Flitwick pulled out his wand and tapped the bold print of the incantation title. A wisp of white haze floated up out of the book into the form of a hand holding a wand. The hand made a motion with the wand before disappearing. "They also show you the proper wand movement for the incantation. However, if you find yourself stuck send me an owl. Now that you know where to find me."

"Owl?" Quinn asked.

"Yes, have a seat. I doubt that many of your questions about the Wizarding world have been answered." Flitwick motioned toward the sofa.

Severus pounded on Quinn's door for over ten minutes before it dawned on him that she might not be in there. Fading into the shadows across the hall he decided that he would wait for her. Standing for a few moments and then sliding down the wall Severus sat cross-legged in the dark.

"Miss Riddle, one more thing," Professor Flitwick said after answering all her questions, provider her with a map of the school, and giving her the address all muggleborn students had mail sent to while they were in school. "The Headmaster said that you were into some business of a questionable nature back home. While he didn't go into specifics, I will tell you that I'm not one to judge how one makes money. I supplement my gambling career with teaching. You appear to be a bright and charming girl. I firmly believe that everyone deserves a fresh start. All I ask is that you don't bring shame on your house." Flitwick lead her to the door. "I have every confidence that you will be a great asset to our house." Quinn gave him a weak smile and nodded before heading back to her room.

The elderly professor gave her a lot to think about. He was so candid and direct… Though Quinn was certain that she wasn't offended. She thinks… His bluntness caught her off guard. Quinn found him charming and after the talk was convinced to make the most of this situation. "Have a good time and learn a thing or two," that was what he said.

The torches along the corridors flickered like stars off in the distance as she made her way through the school. Following the map Professor Flitwick gave her, Quinn make quick time back to her room. With her hand on the handle she felt a presence behind her. Closing her eyes she listened to it stagger as it stood up and lunged at her. Just before it hit her back she whipped around, dropping all the textbooks but one. Which she swung out and up as hard as she could. Feeling satisfied as the book his solid and was rewarded with the sound of something popping on whom she hit. Severus taken completely by surprise took the full force to his face and was thrown off his feet landing completely on his back.

Quinn's satisfaction turned to horror when she heard her Severus moaning on the floor.

"Oh God," she said as she dropped the book and began to help him up. After she pulled him to his feet Quinn opened the door to her room and the hallway was flooded in bright candlelight. Severus' nose was bleeding profusely. "Jesus, come here she pulled him by the hand into her room. Severus tilted his head back and began to pinch the bridge of his nose while trying to mumble incoherent angry words at Quinn. Completely abandoning the books in the hall Quinn led him over to her chaise.

"Get me a flannel," the first coherent words Severus was able to make out around his hands.

"What like pajamas?" Quinn said confused.

"Get me a bloody rag," Snape tried to yell. The blow to the face didn't sober him up at all and blood still flowed from his nose like a sieve

"Oh," Quinn ran to her bathroom and grabbed one of the washcloths that hung on the rack over the bathtub. When she returned and handed him the cloth she noted how he swayed as he grabbed for it. "You're drunk."

"Not drunk enough," Snape said around the washcloth pressed to his face.

Quinn rolled her eyes and sat down next to him. After watching him bumble on his own for a minute and his bloody nose not abating she finally asked, "Isn't there like a spell or something you could use?"

"I'm too pissed to use magic and you don't know any," he replied and continued his ineffectual efforts. "So the old fashioned way… Hey!" Snape shouted when Quinn took the washcloth from him.

She grabbed the side of his face and made him turn toward her. "Lean forward," she said. When he complied she took her index finger and pressed it on the spot just beneath his nose in the middle of the clef in his upper lip while she just held the cloth lightly to absorb the blood. In a couple of minutes the bleeding had stopped.

"Will you please come here?" She set the cloth on her coffee table and took his hand. He silently complied and she led him to her bathroom. Closing the lid on her toilet she helped him sit down without falling over. He watched her impassively while she wet another washcloth, filled a glass of water, and dug out four small oval white pills out of her medicine cabinet.

"How did you do that?" He asked surprised he was still drunk. "I've had problems with nose bleeds since I was a child and they don't stop for at least a half hour."

Quinn approached him with the warm wet washcloth and started cleaning the blood off his neck and face.

"I can do that," he made a grab for the cloth but lost balance when she pulled it out of his reach. Quinn caught him and helped set him back up.

"I know I just want to see the damage and make sure it doesn't start again," she said dismissively and he let her continue to clean. Closing his eyes and trying to will the room from spinning he waited for Quinn to finish. "Well, I don't think you'll have too bad of a bruise and I don't think that your nose is broken." She nudged him with her knee so he would open his eyes. When he did she handed him a glass of water and the pills. "Drink this and take these. You'll thank me in the morning."

Quinn stepped back when he started to get up. Though she was quick to grab him when he started to sway in a way that made her think he would land ass over teakettle. When she was sure that he was steady she turned and walked out of the bathroom. She heard Snape behind her but was still surprised when every so often he would lay his hand on her shoulder to steady himself. Quinn was almost to her door when she heard Snape fall back on her chaise. "Is there something I can do for you?" She asked as she went and sat down next to him again.

"Yes but I can't think of it." Severus' voice drifted off as he stared down at her ankle. With the speed of a viper he grabbed her ankle and pulled up to his lap to look at the tattoo closer, "Where did you get this?" Quinn would have fallen on the floor if she hadn't caught the leg of chaise. Pulling her self back up and unsuccessfully trying to pull her ankle away from Snape she got into a comfortable position before answering.

"I had a dream once," Quinn said irritation creeping into her voice. Severus pulled up the sleeve of his robe and turned his arm over to reveal a fading tattoo of his own.

"But the mark," he said softly as he compared the details, getting more concerned at the stark similarities.

"I had a dream once and this was an image in it," Quinn said sitting up more to get a better look at the mark on his arm. Again when she would try to pull her ankle away Snape just increased his vise like grip.

After a few more minutes, with a heavy sigh Severus let go of her ankle. Leaning back against the chaise his head tilted back and he closed his eyes. Quinn straightened up and moved closer to him. Still curious about the mark on his arm she reached for his arm and started to pull it toward her. At first he stiffened because he never wanted anyone, let alone a student, see it. Then he relaxed as if coming to peace with something and allowed her to pull his arm into her lap.

It did bear a remarkable resemblance, except hers curved around her leg while Snape's formed a figure eight on his forearm. Slowly she traced her fingers lightly around the edge of the snake. Starting at the hissing mouth of the snake she traced up and around the figure eight until she got to the skull. Carefully studying even the tiniest detail. It was as intricate as hers.

"Professor Snape, where did you get this?" Quinn asked quietly her voice barely above a whisper. When he didn't immediately answer she looked over at him and he had fallen asleep.

While put out Quinn wasn't angry, she was used to dealing with inebriated people. Her friends would often crash on her couch after one too many. It also wasn't the first time that someone that wasn't her friend needed couch privileges. Not knowing exactly how drunk he was, she shoved him over till he was lying on his side and took off his boots and put them on the floor next to his head. She then refilled the glass of water and put out two more white pills on the coffee table also next to her head. With one last look at her chaise. Not expecting this would be how her day ended; Quinn blew out several of the candles and went into her room.

Pulling out a small orange prescription bottle from her nightstand. Quinn looked at the label as she often did before she too it. Warfarin taking out a small pink pill Quinn took it dry then climbed out of her clothes, leaving them in a small pile next to the bed. She crawled under the cover and was almost instantly asleep.


End file.
